234 JAPAN VARNISH. 



At a meeting of the Medical Society of Graham's Town, Cape of Good 

 Hope, Dr. Armstrong produced species of Cantharis which he had found in 

 the neighbourhood, and which, he observed, was one of the most destruc- 

 tive little insects the gardener has to contend with. He had seen potato 

 fields completely destroyed by them ; but their favourite food appeared to 

 be the blossoms of leguminous plants, and every variety of the rose. His 

 attention was attracted to them by a friend in the district of Cradock, about 

 three years ago, who lamented the ravages that the insect had committed 

 on his crops ; and who also mentioned, as a curious fact, that he had bruised 

 one on his leg, which caused a blister. This induced him to examine the 

 insect, which he found to belong to the family Cantharides. He collected 

 a quantity of them, on which he poured boiling vinegar, and, after twenty- 

 four hours, used the vesicatory with complete success ; in fact, it was much 

 better and stronger than the common Spanish fly. He imagined it would 

 pay the gardeners to collect them for sale, by doing which they would get 

 rid of one of their worst enemies. It has been remarked that they are more 

 abundant some years than others ; and it is presumed they are in larger 

 numbers in the districts of Cradock, Colesberg, and Graaff-Reinet than in 

 Albany. 



It has often been observed by medical men, that some samples of can- 

 tharides have been almost useless, and this has been usually attributed to 

 their being too old. Dr. Paris states, however, that flies do not lose their 

 virtue by being kept ; and from observations which Dr. Armstrong made 

 with regard to the insect under notice, he supposes that their usefulness 

 depends in a great measure upon the food they eat. For instance, those he 

 had in Cradock were procured from the potato and beans ; those subse- 

 quently shown were collected from roses ; and the acetate (a bottle of 

 which was produced) was of a deep rose colour, and had not been found so 

 active. 



The imports of cantharides into the United Kingdom in the last few 



years have been as follows :— 1855, 21,513 lbs. ; 1856, 35,922 lbs. ; 1857, 



23,670 lbs. ; 1859, 37,578 lbs.— valued at £5,409. 



P. L. S. 



JAPAN VAKNISH. 



The well-known lacquered ware of the East owes its lustrous colouring 

 to a composition of lamp-black, and the clarified sap obtained from a species 

 of sumach called Rhus vernix, or vernicia. Wood oils are obtained from 

 other plants of the same family, and the different qualities of lacquered 

 ware are owing to the use of these inferior ingredients. The real varnish 

 tree is described by De Guignes as resembling the ash in its foliage and 

 bark ; it is about fifteen feet in height, and furnishes the sap when seven 

 years old, which is carefully collected from incisions in the trunk, opened 

 in the summer nights. The body of the ware is wood partially smoothed, 



